Effective listening in classrooms is about more than hearing and a working knowledge of language. Other factors affect listening comprehension in classrooms, where teachers utilize oral presentations to teach new content to students. If students struggle with listening comprehension they will struggle to learn material presented orally. Having an awareness of the factors that affect listening comprehension helps teachers better address the needs of their students.

The Listener

Students employ listening strategies throughout the day, whether engaging in social situations or participating in learning activities. In general, listening comprehension improves when they are interested in the topic. Bring students into the discussion by relating the lesson to something they are familiar with. Teach averages by talking about a popular baseball player’s batting average, explaining how it is calculated. If you simply explain the process of calculating averages without making it practical, students with poor listening skills may tune out. When the subject matter presented grabs the student‘s interest, he becomes actively involved in learning and begins to interpret what he hears.

Background Knowledge

A student’s background knowledge on a subject affects his listening comprehension. For example, when you discuss the Mesozoic Era, a student with poor listening comprehension may tune out, having no connection to the vocabulary. As you begin to discuss the Jurassic period and mention dinosaurs, however, the student may perk up as he begins to construct meaning based on background knowledge he has gained from books or movies about dinosaurs. Without adequate background knowledge, the student with poor listening skills will have a difficult time accessing difficult information. Prepare students for new or difficult material by reading trade books, showing videos and breaking down difficult vocabulary into words they can relate to. This is especially helpful for students whose background knowledge may be lacking.

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Speaking Style

The manner in which a teacher speaks may have an effect on listening comprehension. If you use a fast rate of speech, students with listening comprehension difficulties may have difficulty keeping up with the lesson as they try to deal with unknown subject matter. Slowing down and speaking distinctly allows the student to focus on the content of the lesson without struggling to keep up. Writing vocabulary words on the chalkboard as they are introduced allows students to see the word in print in case they have difficulty understanding new terms. Repetition, rewording information and giving examples provides additional support for students who struggle with listening comprehension. For example, in a social studies lesson, reword the concept of intercontinental travel as going from one continent to another, such as going from North America to Europe.

Visual Input

For some students, visual supports aid listening comprehension for new material. Presenting a map of Europe along with an oral discussion of World War II gives the listener a visual representation of the location of various battles. Watching movies about the war, with pauses to relate incidents in the movie to the history lesson, helps to make the content accessible. Students with poor listening comprehension benefit from diagrams. For example, when comparing two characters in literature, use a comparison chart or Venn diagram to give a visual representation of similarities and differences.

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About the Author

Michele Norfleet is a freelance writer who writes on travel, home and garden and education topics. She has coauthored a handbook for teachers on school-wide discipline and has contributed tips for special-needs students in the basal curriculum for RCL Benziger. Norfleet holds a master's degree from Southern Illinois University and has experience as a special-needs teacher and speech pathologist.